Miners Knock Herd Out of First Round, 70-59
Miners' center Anete Steinberga scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the second half as fifth-seeded UTEP moved past No. 12 seed Marshall, 70-59, in day one of the 2013 Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship Wednesday afternoon at the Tulsa Convention Center.

Links for live stats and live video will be available through the women’s basketball schedule page at UTEPAthletics.com. Live updates will be available through @HerdWBB on Twitter.

HAVE YOU HERD?With its first Conference USA win on the line, the Thundering Herd fell short, 80-62, versus Tulsa, Jan. 25, at Cam Henderson Center. Senior Suporia Dickens (Freeport, Ill.) tied her career-high point total of 21, and in doing so, secured her third-career double-double (second of the season). She had 11 rebounds, marking her third game this season with 10 or more boards. Leah Scott (Detroit) recorded her seventh consecutive game of double-digit scoring with 10 points, and AJ Johnson (Silver Spring, Md.) contributed 10, as well.

Marshall’s bench contributed 45 points of the Herd’s 62, and had 20 in the paint. Both teams committed 12 turnovers, but the Herd held the edge in steals with nine to the Hurricane’s five. Marshall was outrebounded, 44-36, and had eight assists compared to Tulsa’s 20.

CHANGING IT UPCoach Matt Daniel has started eight different combinations over 18 games, and five of the Herd’s seven wins have come with different starting lineups. No Herd player has started all 18 games, however, Scott has started all but three games. Twelve of Marshall’s 14 active players have made at least one start this season.

SPREADING THE WEALTHThe Herd’s offense has found success across its roster, as seven different players have led the team in scoring this season. Scott tops all Herd scorers with 12.5 points per game. Four different players have led the team in rebounding, with Dickens currently topping the charts with 7.4 boards per game.

BLOCKS IN THE BOOKSWith two swats versus Tulsa, Jan. 25, junior Chukwuka Ezeigbo (Trenton, N.J.) moved into sole possession of 12th place in the Marshall record book for career blocked shots (57). She needs three more to tie 11th-place holder Deanna Carter, who blocked 60 from 1978-82.

Ezeigbo’s 36 blocks last season are tied for eighth place in Herd history, and her seven swats versus Indiana State (Nov. 12, 2012) are the fifth-most in a single game at Marshall.

Johnson made five three-pointers against UAB, Jan. 11, tying the third-place Herd record for threes made in a single game. Johnson also became the ninth player in Marshall history to attempt the second-most three pointers in a single game when she shot 11 versus Navy, Dec. 29. In addition, she and Akers both attempted 10 threes in a game this season, tying for eighth place in the record book.

Marshall’s 71-56 defeat of Wofford (Dec. 19) saw two records, with Johnson going 4-of-5 from behind the arc (.800), the sixth-best performance in Herd history. Victrum went 12-of-14 from the charity stripe versus the Terriers, good for ninth-most free throws made in a single game at Marshall. Her mark is also a single-game high under coach Matt Daniel.

SCOUTING THE MINERSUTEP (15-4, 2-2) boasts the best scoring offense in C-USA, producing 79.6 points per game. Reigning C-USA Player of the Week, Kayla Thornton, tops the team with double-figure averages in points (19.4) and rebounds (10.1).

The Miners lead the all-time series with the Herd, 6-4. Marshall faced UTEP twice last season, picking up a win during the regular season, 59-47, in Huntington (Feb. 14, 2013), and falling to the Miners in Tulsa, Okla., in the first round of the C-USA Championship, 70-59 (March 13, 2013).

UP NEXTMarshall will return to the Cam Henderson Center to host a pair of Conference USA foes, starting with East Carolina, Feb. 5, then Louisiana Tech, Feb. 8. For all the latest information about Thundering Herd women’s basketball, follow @HerdWBB on Twitter.